Masters To Be
by AdarArcanine
Summary: Follow the journey of Keyblade Master's Eraqus, Xehanort, and Yen Sid before they showed the Mark of Mastery and were divided by their chosen paths.
1. What Lies Beyond

Light begets darkness, and darkness is drawn to light.

On a small ocean world sat a smaller island with a town, smaller still. And in that town sat an insignificant building with an eighteen-year-old boy in black staring out the window. All his life he had been looking to the horizon, his parents constantly berated him to focus on the here and now. But questions plagued his mind constantly.

What Lie Beyond The Ocean?

He had been asking since childhood, but he had never been given a satisfactory answer, at least not one that satisfied him. He had tried his parents, teachers, friends, scientists, and researchers. But every single time he asked, he had been met with the same impossible answer.

Nothing.

The world was the ocean and the ocean was the entire world. Explorers had searched and found other islands, but the islands were all there ever was. But if that was true, then where had stories come from? He had learned from a young age that every story had its source in the truth. And there were stories of continents, castles, deserts, huge armies, magic, dragons, super-warriors. Where had these stories come from? There had to be something. This world was too...

"Xehanort!" His teacher's annoying voice rudely pierced his mind of churning questions. He gazed at her lazily and realized, by the expression on her face, that she must have called him several times before he had taken any notice. "If you've joined us, could you please tell me the answer to question 7?"

The boy, Xehanort, scanned his paper for all of five seconds before answering smugly, "x = thirteen." The teacher's face of arrogance fell as he recited the correct answer, and Xehanort had to suppress a laugh. Though, he may have had no interest in school that did not mean he wasn't good at it. Contrary to the fact, he was by all accounts a genius, and could have been the top of his class if he cared to put in even a tiny fraction of effort. Yet another thing his parents never failed to remind him. Still his cocky attitude and constant lust for adventure made fitting in and making friends impossible. Xehanort had often convinced himself that he didn't need friends, but this was not entirely accurate. The simple fact was that none of the other teenagers or even adults understood him. And, for him, that was the most important thing in a friendship.

The teacher began a monologue about Xehanort's intellect not making up for attention, but he ,having already returned to his own thoughts, merely nodded listlessly. And when the teacher, finally returned to the board, he returned his gaze to the window. It was at that moment that he caught sight of something strange… A person (he thought anyway). He couldn't tell if they were a man or a woman because they were draped in an old brown robe, which covered the individual entirely. A robe? In this weather? That wasn't right, and Xehanort always had his eyes on the unexplained. He glanced at the clock to see how long until he could go question the figure, and saw that only three minutes remained. But when he returned to the window, the figure had gone… How? They had been hunched over and moving so slowly… How had they moved out of sight in the short time it took to check a clock. Had he imagined him? No… he had fully taken in the figures appearance, and Xehanort was fairly sure he was not hallucinating. His curiosity was piqued.

As the bell rang, Xehanort bolted for the door at full speed, nearly forgetting his bag in his rush. He pushed past the other students and ignored teachers' protests. But, even with his disregard for hall safety, upon reaching the street, there was no sign of the figure. Curiouser and curiouser... Still they couldn't have gotten far…

XXX

In a distant and far away corner of the universe from stood another world covered in water with a sunny sky. But this was where the similarities ended. Across the water hundreds (maybe thousands) of white mountains of buildings protruded from the watery surface each topped with a beautiful tower. Golden and white cable cable cars connected each mountain. The world was about as close to utopia as one could come, There were bustling markets, homes for everyone and plenty of food. As a world aware of the many other throughout the universe, they had access to the best magic and technology. Criminals, though not eradicated, never operated to their full capacity and never in the more central mountains, as they knew what the world's defenders were capable of. Scala Ad Caelum was safe guarded by the greatest warriors in the cosmos, who had called the world home since their creation.

Keyblade Wielders.

This place had once been the seat of power for all such warriors, but their numbers had dwindled over the centuries, so much so that now only a single master and her two apprentices remained based on Scala Ad Caelum.

One such apprentice, a seventeen-year-old boy in white, stood atop the tallest tower in the world and looked out upon the magnificent view that he had called home all his life. The boy, beneath the white haori, wore a grey shirt with two lighter gray straps criss crossing over his chest and tan hakama. The two pieces of clothing were separated by a grey and black belt adorned with the symbol of a keybearer.

He was a blueblood, meaning he had descended from the first keyblade masters. The keyblade had been his entire life, he had always wished for a chance to see other worlds, rescue people, and attain the incredible honor of Keyblade Master, but then again so did every child born on the Stairway To Heaven. Being a keyblade wielder was the equivalent to being a superhero, a leader, and a soldier all at once.

What had separated the boy, from the masses of other dreamers, was an incident when he was ten. He had been on one of the outer mountains with his parents when a mugger had grabbed an elderly man's wallet. The boy in white, in his infinite wisdom, had chased the mugger into an alley and tripped him with a weak pearl spell. This was an obvious mistake as the criminal was much larger than him and armed with a dagger, and his magic, though impressive for his age, was little more than a parlor trick at the time. He would've died if not for the timely intervention of a woman in a white robe.

"_That was reckless little one," She said to him, "You should no better than to put yourself in danger?"_

"_He took that man's money…" The boy replied simply, " it wasn't right."_

_She smiled at that, "What's your name?."_

"_Eraqus."_

"_Eraqus." She spoke softly as if considering something, "Do you have a dream?"_

"_Of course, I wanna be a keyblade wielder!" The boy had spoken with the same confidence he had always answer that question with, but then hesitated before amending his declaration,"But really I wanna help people."_

_She removed her hood, in response, revealing the face of the famed keyblade master of Scala Ad Caelum. The boy gasped and began to speak, but she held up her hand, simply smiled and summoned her keyblade in a flash of light._

"_In your hand take this key, so long as you have the makings then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me friend. No ocean will contain you then, no more borders around or below or above. So long as you champion the ones you love."_

Eraqus smiled fondly at the memory. His keyblade had materialized barely a year later and he had begun his training to fulfill his dream. It seemed like a cheesy thing to say, but it was truly everything he had hoped. He had seen other worlds, helped people, and even had met a new friend.

"Your up early." A youthful yet wise voice came from behind. He had grey hair, despite his youth, and wore blue robes with two gray straps criss-crossing over his chest. He wore a black belt adorned with a yellow star, and a necklace with a yellow crescent moon.

His name was Yen Sid, and Eraqus and his master had found him three years ago on a particularly musical world, the Symphony of Sorcery. He had quickly impressed the pair with his incredible display of magic, which he had apparently taught himself. He also held a strong sense of responsibility and accepted an offer to become a keyblade wielder and defend the worlds. Eraqus appreciated the friend and peer, but Yen Sid was a bit too serious for him.

"No, you just slept in late." He responded with a smile as Yen Sid joined him looking at rail.

"It's our day off, and sleep is important for people in our line of work." He responded in his usual serious tone.

"And you were tired."

Yen Sid's face softened "And I was tired."

"So how are we gonna spend the day?"

"I'M going to study, I'm working on something new."

There it was, Yen Sid never hung out with Eraqus outside of training. He was always studying a new spell or creating one of his own. Most of his old friend group didn't hang out with him anymore either. Apparently their parents had warned them against distracting Eraqus from his "important duties."

"Come on!" Eraqus pleaded. "It's our day off! Can't we do something fun? I know! Let's play ch-"

"No!" Yen Sid stated firmly

"Aw c'mon it's just chess." Eraqus replied throwing his hands up in protest.

Yen Sid glared at his peer pointedly, "THAT is NOT chess. Chess is a strategy game played on a checkered game board with 64 tiles in an eight by eight grid. 16 pieces each."

Eraqus rolled his eyes, "You're world's version of chess is boring."

"Perhaps," Yen Sid gave a small laugh and turned back to the stairs, "You'll find someone to match your skill in that absurd game someday Eraqus."

"Yeah right."

XXX

Xehanort gazed at the ocean with the same feeling of longing. He had looked all over town and even, if begrudgingly, asked around. No one had seen any individual in a brown robe. A part of Xehanort was now convinced that he had been hallucinating, but another part of him was convinced that it had been real. Why did the cloaked being make him feel this way? Sure, he had always watched for strange goings-on for his ever growing theory on the outside world, but this was something else. A sense of longing, yes. But also… familiarity? No… Yes? He wasn't sure.

Still he had eventually given up and had rowed out to the "play island." The island was a popular spot frequented by the island's children. But around sunset all the small kids had gone home, and the older kids had moved on to either studying or less legal activities, so it served as a fine place to think. He looked out at the sunset, and his mind returned to his obsession. The view was perfect. Perfect. Perfectly infuriating. It made him crazy. How could this be all there was, it didn't make sense...

"This world is just too small."

Xehanort wasn't prepared for a response "But it is part of one that is much bigger."

His head shot to his side to see the figure in the robe, he had been searching for, approaching him.

He was hunched over. The robe was incredibly old and shabby. In fact, it looked more like a burlap sack than a robe. Red-Brown straps decorated with metal spikes criss-crossed over his chest. Any details of the man underneath were unseen, not even his shoes were visible.

Xehanort turned to face the man, "How did you get out here." The man could've gotten into a boat and rowed, not without the coast guard noticing. Had they lied about not seeing him?

"This world has been connected." The man's voice was a deep baritone. It looked like it would match a strong man in his twenties, not the small hunched over elderly man that stood before him. "Tied to the darkness."

That's when Xehanort noticed that the man wasn't leaving any form of footprints in the sand! Startled, Xehanort took a few steps back, and asked his next question. "What are you?"

"A seeker." He answered, "Like you…"

"What do you want?" He wasn't afraid which was strange, this man was suspicious and in all likelihood dangerous. And yet Xehanort was certain that the man was not going to harm him.

"To tell you that you are right."

"The outside world…" He was right… he had been right all along. He knew it!

"Would you like to see it?" The man asked question like a person who already knew the answer.

"Yes." Xehanort replied without hesitation.

"A great destiny awaits you, Xehanort. There is much to do… But before you embark on your journey, we need your help." The man moved toward him standing with arm's reach now, "We shall go together." The robed man stretched out his hand.

And Xehanort took it.

His eyes became a putrid gold. His ears sharpened to a point as images and voices overtook his senses. It was as if he was watching a movie on fast forward. Only able to make out a few pieces and voices at a time.

_Bring me Sora, and I will take you and your partner home._

_Beautiful World isn't it?_

_You lost the moment you dived this far in._

_Hands off my new vessel._

_I can make them move._

_It is etched._

_YOUR TIME IN THIS WORLD IS-_

"-OVER!" Xehanort screamed as he collapsed, face first to the sandy ground. He felt like he had been beaten by an entire gang. His entire body screamed in agony. With a loud groan, He tried to push himself onto his back, but his arms refused to obey his commands. This was all his fault!

That damn dull ordinary bo-

...What?

What had he been saying? What had happened? He tried to recall the images and voices, but he couldn't remember any of it. He couldn't even remember what the robed man had said. Had it been a man? The voice was gone. Had he imagined it… No, then what was this horrible pain. Where had he been? Nowhere… it was the same time… He must have been attacked and been given a severe concussion. And yet… something was different now… It felt as though something within him had changed.

He was right. He knew that he was. He was certain… more certain than he had ever been. The outside world was out there… and he was going.

X-X-X

Author's Notes: This is my first attempt at a fanfic and my first time putting some of my work out into the world. I really enjoy Kingdom Hearts and following Kingdom Hearts 3, I wanted to see more of Eraqus and Xehanort's training, so I decided to write it. This is meant to be a canon compliment, but depending on what is revealed about Eraqus and Xehanort's training and even future worlds in KH. It could very quickly turn into an AU which is only to be expected.

The master is pretty much an OC since nothing about their master is revealed. But the story won't really focus on them at all.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and continue to follow Master's To Be

Yen Sid's outfit is based on this fanart (very well done):

cioccolatodorima/art/Young-Masters-541819610


	2. Dilemmas and Duelists

Xehanort was infuriated. Following his "episode" on the beach, he had passed out and hadn't awoken until the following morning when a few of the island children had jostled him awake. Their chaperone had taken his beaten body back to the mainland and subsequently to the hospital. When the doctors had asked how he came by his injuries, he had answered truthfully that he could not remember. Judging by the skepticism on their faces, they did not believe him, but they patched him up nonetheless. It probably seemed that he had gotten into a fight, while doing something illegal. This should've been a clue that he should come up with a semi-decent excuse to tell his parents, however between the pain and the meds, he hadn't…

His parents also didn't believe his amnesiac story, and who can blame them. He had a history of wandering off and getting himself into all sorts of trouble. They had pushed for answers, but Xehanort did not possess any. As a result, they had subsequently barred him from leaving his room with the sole exception of school.

And if there was one thing that Xehanort hated more than anything, it was being stuck in one place. There was a reason that he had constantly dreamed of what was beyond the ocean, the sky and stars, and infinity. He wanted to be out there, exploring, moving, doing… ANYTHING! But now he was sitting at his window, gazing at the sunrise, and longing for freedom, not from the islands, but from his own house. The irony of the situation was not lost on him.

Xehanort opened his journal and looked at his latest entry about the man in the robe. He always documented all of his theories and evidence regarding the outside world, as it always helped to keep his thoughts in order. However, besides a brief sketch of the man's appearance, the entry did not entail much. He still couldn't remember his conversation with the man. He KNEW that they had talked about the outside world, and about something else… but that was it. It was fuzzy, a far off memory, like a scattered dream.

He didn't know what to make of it, and had no one to ask. His teachers were ignorant and close minded. His parents would probably suggest to put him in therapy… again. And it wasn't like he had any friends to turn to. He was on his own; always on his own.

Xehanort closed the book, and threw it unceremoniously to his small desk in frustration. He glanced at the clock, and found it read 7:37. He had to get ready for school. _From one boring place to another. _He removed himself from the window sill and dressed in his usual attire: a white button-up shirt, gray pants, a black jacket, and matching boots. Finally he attached his belt, grabbed his backpack, and left his stifling room behind.

He placed a single slice of bread in the toaster, he wasn't really hungry. Then he surveyed the small house. His parents weren't up yet, not that he would've spoke to his "jailors" anyway. _Why wouldn't they understand? Why did no one understand? It would be so much easier if they understood._ He pushed the thought away, shaking his head.

_I don't need them._

The toaster dinged, and he was out the door within the minute. As he walked across the dull ordinary streets of the main island, he took care to analyze his surroundings, even though he knew the path by heart. After all he wouldn't be allowed to explore for who knew how long.

_Something was off…_ He thought, he noticed a darker and bleeker atmosphere directly contrasting the Destiny Islands usual relaxed one. But it was entirely possible that this dreary shadow was just his own mood, so he chose to not pursue the feeling.

After a brief and unfortunately uneventful walk, he arrived at the towering gates of his school. "From one prison to another," he mumbled to himself. Children from all grades gathered outside, conversing with their friends, no doubt, about ordinary and boring matters. He did not bother to waste time and quickly moved to the school doors. As he briskly walked through the courtyard he felt barraged with the insignificant chatter of his classmates' conversations.

"There's a part Saturday! you should totes come."

"I'm going chocobo riding tomorrow with my family, sor-"

"Study group is meeting tonight, don't be late."

"I'm telling you, man. There's something out there."

Xehanort abruptly stopped and turned his head, the latest speaker was a junior whom he recognized as a member of the school's blitzball team, but he didn't remember the athlete's name. Intrigued by this boy's observations, rather than entering the school, Xehanort positioned himself against the school's wall, and found an interesting spot at the ground to fix his stare at as he listened.

"I was walking through the woods with my girl… actually it's complicated, anyway, then all of a sudden we hear this rustling in the bushes. I go over to check it out, thinking it was someone creepin'. And I saw freakin yellow eyes staring back at me." The jock spoke like someone recounting a horror story, but there was an underlying fear in his voice.

This grabbed Xehanort's full attention, but he waited to listen. Interjecting would likely cause the group to poke fun at his habits, this he could assume from prior encounters. He didn't have time to listen to the pitiful excuses, that they called insults.

One of the jock's friends spoke up from the silence, "It was probably some kind of racoon."

"Nah man, it was weird. It's eyes were like…. I dunno… beady… and I got this feeling like it was something real bad."

The members of the group laughed at their friend's apparent cowardice, "Man you sound like such a wimp right now."

"I'm telling you man, there's some kind of monster out there."

Xehanort stepped toward the group. "Where?" he interrupted, his interest now keen enough that he was willing to deal with whatever berating the team returned to him.

The jock who had taunted the junior for his cowardice now flashed the new face a look of annoyance then smirked, "Look what you done now, you got Norty all excited."

"You shouldn't go out there Norty." Another of them chided mockingly, "The big bad monster would make you piss your pants."

_Predictable. _Xehanort ignored the taunts and stepped toward the Junior, so that he was now standing mere inches from him, "Where?" he asked again, this time with exerting more force, turning his question into a demand.

The Junior hesitated a moment before answering, "Out in the clearing... closest to the library."

Satisfied, Xehanort turned away from the group, and made his way inside without another word. _In all likelihood it __**is **__just some racoon, like the dilliquent outside said, but then again... maybe it was something else?_ He had to know for sure. He would make a quick stop to the clearing before heading home or during lunch. So long as he was quick, no one would ever know about his little detour. He walked on to his first period, at least now, he had something to look forward too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Let's see if all that studying has paid off." Eraqus taunted his friend. They stood in one of the tower's many luxurious training rooms, this one specifically made for sparring.

Yen Sid gave a small grin, but spoke nothing, instead he simply held out his hand to dramatically summon his keyblade. With A flash, vibrant weapon appeared in his grip. Star Seeker had a midnight-blue blade adorned with stars scattered across the blade. The guard was similarly formed by two shooting stars colliding around a black handle. The keyblade's telltale teeth were shaped to form a gilded star resting inside a crescent moon, while a matching crescent moon dangled as it's keychain.

Eraqus sighed, Yen Sid had never been one for banter, but that was fine. He held his hand out in front of him and in a flash of light Master's Defender joined him. Eraqus' key design was far more humble with a simple industrial gothic figure sporting a black blade and teeth, a box guard with a copper and white coloration. Lastly the Mark of The Keyblade dangled as it's keychain.

Eraqus planted his feet firmly into the wooden planks beneath them and held his weapon in front of him with two hands, taking up his usual protective stance. Yen Sid held his own Keyblade poised to the side as if he was handling a wand or a conductor's baton.

They slowly circled each other waiting for the other to make the first move. Eraqus always imposed this strategy, allowing his opponent to strike first and then counter, but Yen Sid was well aware of his method from their 3 years of training side by side.

They stood there in a seemingly endless standoff, Eraqus savored the moment enjoying the tension before the duel.

Yen Sid moved suddenly aligning his blade with Eraqus, casting a burst of fire spells. Eraqus quickly sliced through the attack and lunged towards Yen Sid. He leaped through the air, raising his Keyblade to deliver a devastating chop, but the young wizard parried the strike and threw him backwards with well timed aero.

Yen Sid wasted no time resuming his magical assault, firing off alternating water and fire spells. Eraqus dodge-rolled out of the attacks' path and dived into a sonic blade, narrowing the gap between the two. Eraqus relied heavily on maneuvers like this to force his foe into close combat; which was a form of combat Eraqus had no trouble displaying his physical might in.

Yen Sid sidestepped the attack, but Eraqus quickly shoved his foot into Yen Sid's path, tripping the apprentice. Noticing the brief opening, Eraqus swung his key against Yen Sid's chest knocking him tumbling back.

Eraqus relentlessly kept on the offensive, hacking away against the Sorcerer's defense, waiting for the magician to make a mistake. Yen Sid backpedaled, attempting to gain some distance for another magic attack, but Eraqus pursued his retreats the entire time, refusing to relinquish the advantage. Eraqus made a swing towards Yen Sid's shoulder, but he ducked low, igniting his hand with firaga and shoved it forwards, planting his palm squarely on Eraqus's chest.

His attack serves its purpose, sending Eraqus reeling back, allowing Yen Sid to cast a blizzara. Frozen fractals shot out of the tip of Star Seeker icing the floor in the projectile's wake, Eraqus batted the spell away with Master's Defender, but his startled expression betrayed his unreadiness for what followed.

Yen Sid skated across his ice path, coating his Keyblade a glistening magical aura as he traveled. He was too quick for Eraqus to respond and landed a successful hit which swiftly stacked into a combo, striking his sparring partner four more times before winding back to deliver a fira finisher.

Eraqus hit the ground hard, but he pushed back up refusing to submit. The apprentice shot off 3 pearls, which Yen Sid knocked away with a reflect.

Eraqus grinned, his strike was merely a trojan, designed to open Yen Sid open to his real attack. He coated his Keyblade in a glistening light and rushed towards his opponent.

Quick to respond, Yen Sid pivoted around and screamed, "FLARE!"

Fireworks spiral outwards stemming around him and affixed themselves onto Eraqus. Who broke off his attack in shock.

He couldn't dodge a strike of this magnitude, and he doubted that his reflect, which was vastly weaker than Yen Sid's, would hold up against the ensuing barrage.

_One choice then_

Eraqus raised his Keyblade in defense crying out, "LIGHT!"

A blinding pillar of light funneled down and consumed the encroaching fireworks.

"A faith spell." Yen Sid commented breathlessly, " Impressive."

"Thanks, mind telling me what in the worlds was that?" Eraqus responded incredulously.

The tone of the question prompted Yen Sid release a chuckle, "I told you I was working on something new, did I not?"

"Well… yeah." Eraqus remembered, "But, fireworks? Why Fireworks?"

"I like fireworks." He responded with a candid dryness.

"Fair enough. Round two?" Eraqus readied his blade even as he spoke.

"I'm afraid it will have to wait." rang the voice of their impressed master from the doorway.

Master Minamimoto wore white robes with a crimson lining, a black leather belt with a red key symbol, and a golden necklace that bore the mark of the keyblade. On her shoulder was a white and red pauldron. She looked tired, which was only to be expected having been out on a mission for well over a week now. Her usual demeanor was replaced by a serious expression which tipped Eraqus off that something was amiss.

"What's wrong." Yen Sid voiced Eraqus' own concerns before he was able to speak, "Did something happen at the Land of Departure?"

The Master shook her head and response, "No, but we did notice something strange. We detected dwellers of darkness crossing the border of their realm into our own."

Eraqus cocked his head at the words, "Dwellers of Darkness?"

"The heart's darkness made manifest, they're monsters who seek to gather hearts. We call them Heartless. They inhabit the realm of darkness."

"Master, why have you never told us about them?" Yen Sid asked curiously.

She cast her eyes downward before responding, "To be honest, It had become redundant. Heartless haven't journeyed from the dark realm regularly since ancient times, and never without being summoned. I've never even seen one in person myself."

"But they entered the realm of light… why?"

"**That **is what we are going to find out. Come, it's time to visit a new world."

The two apprentices followed their master dutifully to the roof, and watched as she summoned her keyblade, True Light's Flight, and tossed it high into the air. At the apex of its arc it flashed and transformed into a flying vehicle resembling a surfboard with a sail.

She raised her arm and pressed against her pauldron. It released a tremendous light which consumed her figure. A second later the light faded leaving the master clad in full body armor.

The apprentices followed suit, summoning their gliders and armor. Eraqus' glider took the form of a mechanical horse while Yen Sid's resembled a flying broomstick.

"What kind of world are we heading too." Eraqus asked from behind his metal helmet.

"You'll enjoy this one," Minamimoto's smile was obvious even though her face was covered, "We're going to hit the beach."

X-X-X

Author's note: The master is named after the founder of SquareSoft, which is a play on the fact that Eraqus is an anagram of square.

Eraqus' glider is based on fan art from the Ask Eraqus Tumblr. Which I thought worked perfectly as he is based on a samurai.

Editor's note: Yay, I have a job!


	3. Etched Encounter

The forests of the Destiny Islands were incredibly tame. Xehanort had lost all interest in them when he was only a child. They were just as relaxed and monotonous as the rest of the islands. There was never any hint of danger. The most wild animal to ever inhabit the islands were the dingos, and those had been driven back into the wilderness, and completely wiped from the mainland by hunters.

Whatever this alleged "monster" was it had to be something different. Something new? Something interesting? Xehanort was filled with an odd sense of bittersweet excitement; on one hand a monster on the islands could put people in needless danger…. But on the other hand finally something is happening on these mundane islands. He loved finding new discoveries, sadly he did not have his usual time to search. All he had was his lunch period, and he would have to be back at school within forty-five minutes. Normally he would just skip, but with his captors breathing down his neck, it simply wasn't an option. The last thing he needed was for his sentence to be extended.

With that thought in mind, Xehanort hurried to the clearing which the junior had pointed out to him. He opted against using the traditional path as he was worried that he might run into someone, which would shatter his entire plan. Still his decision to take a unmarked path bore no consequences, for only 15 minutes after leaving school grounds he arrived at his destination.

As expected, there was nothing to find within the clearing itself, but that was alright. He moved back into the trees and began to patrol the surrounding area. Xehanort had learned how to track from his father, despite being one of the only skills passed on to him, he considered it useful for adventuring. It depended on reading the environment, animals are living creatures too after all. They leave traces of their presence, travel routes, broken branches, crushed leaves, pellets...

They weren't hard to find if you know how to look…

At least, it wasn't usually. Xehanort couldn't find any trace of anything in the area surrounding the clearing. Sure, he wasn't great at tracking, but he should've been able to find at least something. The travel routes were still around, but it was as if all the animals had been avoiding this area recently…

Suddenly a thick inky black sludge started seeping from the dirt ground. The foul goo started to gather into at least a dozen pools.

"What the-"

The sludge rose from the pools taking the shape of short black creatures with antennas and three pointed claws on each hand. Their beady eyes illuminated with a yellow glow. Their eyes stared at his chest with a ghoulish fascination. Their scrawny bodies began twitching, each making an audible and unsettling noise.

Xehanort took a step back, but found that he was surrounded by these creatures. A feeling of fear and unease settled upon him for the first time since he was a child. The creatures lunged forward, throwing themselves at him, but he darted out of the way and took off sprinting through the forest. As he ran he could hear a chorus of their chirping following just a few paces behind him.

He weaved through the trees, dodged branches, and leaped over roots. His heart was pounding in his ears, he was sweating profusely, he breathed faster than he ever had in his life. And he loved every second of it, the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the thrill of adventure and discovering something new. It felt amazing, and in a weird way he never wanted it to end.

He stole a quick glance over his shoulder to see how many were still on his tail, but was unable to get a clear look without stopping. Focused his attention back in front as he burst through the tree line, barreling back to town.

He reached the buildings in a time that would even make the track team jealous, and ducked down an alleyway in an attempt to lose his pursuers. The gap between the walls were tight, but he kept pushing forward and soon found himself upon a locked gate. He scaled the fencing as he had done numerous times throughout his life and landed on the other side without a scratch.

He turned and watched the creatures plow right into the fence. Xehanort laughed in victory.

Then they melded into the pavement, becoming flat, and slid under the gate as if it weren't there. Xehanort immediately fell silent and whipped around to keep running, but found himself before another group of creatures, this one headed by a larger and thinner creature with two tendrils coming from its head.

He was trapped and there was nothing he could do.

The largest creature crouched down and leaped at him, its claws lashing out towards his chest. Without hope Xehanort shut his eyes, throwing his arms up in an effort of protection from the attack…

He waited, dreading the pain to come, but after what seemed like forever to him, it did not.

Xehanort squinted open his eyes and found that he was no longer within the musty alley. In fact, he had no idea where he was!

He stood alone on a round platform of ornate stained glass. Beyond it there was a seemingly endless abyss of darkness. Above there was a single light shining down onto him, like a star in the night sky.

Xehanort looked down at the glass, and found that he was gazing at a mural of himself, asleep. It displayed him, wearing the same clothes that he had on and by all accounts was a perfect replica with but one exception. The mural version held a bizarre sword in his hand.

It had a black and electric blue blade, it's tip decorated with a clock face, with a goat's head mounted on top. It's edge arced from the clock face like an axe, but we're almost like teeth, with the same coloration as the blade. The guard was jet black, decorated with various gears and another clock. A metal chain dangled from it with an hourglass attached like a keychain.

Xehanort stared at it for a long while, unable to take his eyes off it, until a sound arose from the void and distracted him.

He swiveled his head around, but couldn't identify the source of the noise. So he returned his gaze to the rest of the platform. It featured artwork of the Destiny Islands and several "X" symbols around the outskirts. In the center sat several circles, they were mostly empty except for three which displayed his mother, father, and the mythical man in the robe he encountered earlier on the beach.

_What was this place?_ His brain told him that it was a dream or he was dead, for those were the only explanations for how such a place could exist. But something, deep within him, his heart told him that this was real.

*Twitch twitch*

Xehanort was startled by the sound and looked out into the abyss to be met with glowing yellow eyes, just beyond the platform.

_**Do not be afraid**_

The voice was like an echo, impossible to tell who or what was speaking. He looked around for the owner of the voice, but could find no one.

"Who's there? Where are you?" Xehanort questioned. The voice told him not to be afraid, yet this voice wasn't the one isolated on a platform surrounded by monsters. He needed a plan. He needed a way to defend himself.

_**Power sleeps within you. If you give it form. It will give you strength. **_

The platform began to rumble and three pedestals emerged from the ground, each on different sides of the platform.

_**Choose well.**_

On the first, there was a short sword, it had a blue handle, a gold guard, and a matching gold pommel. And there was, also, a red circle emblazoned on the guard with a symbol, three interconnecting circles.

_**The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction.**_

On the second, there was a shield in the shape of a pentagon. It was primarily black with a red outline, and bored an identical crest as sword, the symbol of circles were emblazoned at its center, in red with a yellow outline.

_**The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all.**_

On the final pedestal, there hovered a rod. It's handle was green with tan on the ends. It connected to a brown dish which connected to the head of the staff, yet again the same emblem, but this time in blue instead of it's usual yellow.

_**The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff of wonder and ruin.**_

He gazed at the pedestals before him. Each possessed a distinct advantage, but the sword was the only one which he'd be able to use effectively against the monsters… He walked towards the pedestal, and picked up the blade.

A bright light spread over him, and instantly he had returned to the island, but not the alley in which he last was. Instead he stood on the dock of the play island, the short sword still gripped in his hand. He looked around, confused and noticed he was completely alone. Which was strange, since the island children were usually over here at this time.

He directed his sight to the main island, it was deserted. There was no one on the beach, no fishing boats, nothing. Despite its appearance, this place wasn't the same island which he was on when he left…

_**Tell me about yourself.**_

He took a step forward and suddenly a figure stood before him. All Xehanort could make out was that the man had a strong build, but all other features were obscured by an oddly familiar black coat.

"What do you fear?" The voice carried like a bass, velvety and monotone, completely devoid of any emotion.

"Who are you!" Xehanort demanded raising his weapon in a threatening position, yet the man simply stood there, awaiting an answer. Xehanort hesitated, and then gave one, "Being trapped in one place."

The figure gave a terse mirthless laugh, and faded away. Xehanort stretched his arm out, waving his sword through where the man had stood seconds earlier.

_What was this place…_

Xehanort continued forward, onto the beach and across the sand. And like before another figure appeared before him.

This one did not have his face obscured by a black hood. He instead wore a clean lab coat and a purple scarf. His hair was silvery white, the same color as his own. He would have thought he was looking at his future, except the man's eyes were a different color, brown.

"What do you care about most?" The man's voice was similar to the first, but this one was curious and thoughtful.

_More questions…_ Xehanort considered it for a moment. _Adventure? No, not exactly… it was what came with the adventures._

"Knowledge." He responded finally.

The man smiled proudly and faded away like the first.

Xehanort resisted the urge the question his situation again, deciding to get through this place first and ask questions later. So, he continued down the beach towards the makeshift playground on the other side of the island.

But as he turned the corner a new figure stood in his way, the brown robed man…

"What do you wish?"

Xehanort hollowly laughed, "You already know the answer to that one… _freedom_."

The man faded without another word and another light blinded Xehanort.

He was back on the stained glass platform.

_**Your path is etched. You walk the road of a recusant, and will accomplish a great many things. But beware… your heart…**_

The shadows rushed onto the platform, desperate for their prey. Xehanort raised his sword over his head and smashed it against the first of the monsters. Another leaped at him, but he blocked the claws with his sword and sliced through it before it hit the ground. Another from behind sliced its claws across his back. He pivoted, and swung at the monster, but it sunk into the ground, moving out of range.

He felt another slash across his leg and he dropped down to one knee. He turned into the direction of the attack and repaid the slash with one of his own. More and more kept approaching, and he swept the blade in a wide arc taking out two more of the creatures.

He hacked through several, but for every one he killed two more materialized. He was more exhausted than he had ever been, and the sword soon became heavy in his hand. He persisted to swing, with each stroke he grew even more tired, as more kept approaching he was only continuing by sheer willpower.

He swung lazily at another monster, but it easily avoided the strike and grabbed onto his leg. The others followed suit, grabbing onto him and restricting his movement. The platform itself became engulfed in darkness. It was over…

_**Don't be afraid. You hold the most powerful weapon of all. So, don't forget... **_

The brightest light that he had ever seen overtook his sight and blinded him, when he could open his eyes again all the darkness was gone.

_**You are the one who will open the door to Kingdom Hearts.**_

And as the last words sank in, he began fading back in the alleyway, lying prone on the ground. There were no monsters attacking him, there was nothing. He would've thought it was all a dream, except in his hand laid the same blade which he had been holding in the portrait.

_Keyblade_

_Keyblade_

_Keyblade_

"Woah… is that what a think it is." The unfamiliar voice of a boy came from the alleyway's entrance.

A boy dressed in white and another in blue, both complete strangers, stood before him. They were staring at his weapon, his keyblade, in utter shock. They spoke nothing for several moments before the boy in white took a step forward and offered Xehanort his hand.

"Hey, nice to meet you." He grinned widely, "I'm Eraqus."


	4. A Shadow among Shadows

Darkness was drawn to light, but in the same way darkness was drawn to darkness, melding together to become more powerful like two star colliding together to create a supernova. So it would come as a surprise to no one that as the keybearers fought back the heartless, another darkness lingered out of sight back on the islands.

A man, if he was even human enough to be called that, watched the heartless from afar. He had never encountered such creatures in his countless years of world traveling, but if they were darkness than they were perfect for his goals. It had to be fate that he'd find such perfect pawns.

Such a course of action would undoubtedly attract the attention of the keybearers, but they had to be dealt with regardless, afterall they were the natural enemies of himself and his goal.

Still, best to avoid a direct confrontation until he knew how to control these "heartless" as they were called.

And they **could** be controlled. Of that he was certain. All darkness could be controlled. Even the darkness that resides in every heart, it allowed him to manipulate and, from a certain perspective, control the heart's host. And if he could manipulate people's darkness, surely creatures so primitive could be controlled as well.

With the creatures at his side, his age of lingering in the shadows would soon be over.

But for now, he'd observe and learn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I knew there were more keybearers, but I never expected them to operate so close to our world." The boy in white, Eraqus, spoke with excitement in his voice, "The only other apprentice I've met is my friend Yen Sid." He gestured toward the boy in blue.

Xehanort gave a look of utter confusion. _Keybearer? Apprentice?_ "What are you talking about?" He asked at last, perhaps a little more rudely than was necessary.

Eraqus didn't seem deterred through, he continued to smile as he replied, "The mission! You're here to take out the heartless too, right? So, are you here alone or is your master nearby?"

Xehanort took a step back and he tried to answer the question, but he didn't really know what he was supposed to say. _What mission? What was a heartless?_

Eraqus, finally, noticed his hesitation, frowned, and for the first time looked Xehanort over. Xehanort felt uncomfortable as the boy looked over his clothes, and even more so when the boy's frown deepened as he did so.

The boy in blue, Yen Sid, finally spoke up in a serious voice, "Eraqus, I think he's a local…"

Eraqus crossed his arms over his chest, stared at Xehanort intently, and then shared a brief glance with Yen Sid, "Yeah, I guess... but if he's a local where'd he get a keyblade?"

_Keyblade. There was that word again. Was that what my weapon was called… Where have I heard that name before? It just popped into my head, but I know that's its name..._

He looked at the pair of strangers, who continued to eye him warily.

"You know what this is?" Xehanort held the keyblade up in front of him for the boys to see. He had about a million questions regarding what had just transpired over the past ten minutes, and if the boys could provide answers, then he wanted them.

They two glanced at each other again, then Eraqus took a step forward. "Of course," He reached out in front of him as if to pluck something out of the air. _**Flash! **_A blade closely resembling a key appeared in the boy's hand, "This is a keyblade, just like yours they are magical weapons that are capable of all kinds of miracles. We, keybearers, use them to protect the worlds."

Xehanort's eyes widened with each word, he felt like a kid on christmas morning. _Worlds! He had just said worlds. As in multiple. As in they came from another one._

Yen Sid gave Eraqus a stern glare, "Eraqus, rule one…"

Eraqus gave Yen Sid a smile, "He's a keybearer. He should know."

Xehanort finally snapped back to his senses and immediately was overwhelmed with new questions for the boys, "You're from another world? Which one? What's it like? How many are out there? How do you travel? Can you show me? How'd you do that trick with your keyblade? What is a keyblade? You said they were magic, what do they do? Why a key? Isn't that kind of impractical? How would you cut anything? Or unlock anything? I doubt anyone has locks that big. Do they have something to do with the voice and that mosaic? What were those monsters? What do they want? Why'd they attack-"

"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!" Eraqus waved his arms in protest, "One question at a time."

"Eraqus," Yen Sid spoke up again, he was now at the exit of the alleyway and pointing down the street, "We should report this to the master."

"Right. I know." Eraqus replied, his keyblade disappearing in another flash of light. He made his way to the exit of the alley, before turning back to Xehanort in excitement, "Well, come on!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Eraqus was having the time of his life. The newbie keybearer, Xehanort, was bombarding him with questions with a passion that rivaled or perhaps exceeded his own. He had explained to him, the keyblade and it's powers. It's purpose in safeguarding the worlds. The heartless and they're purpose.

Eraqus found not knowing all these things to be strange. He had grown up on a world, where everyone knew about other worlds and the keyblade. Even Yen Sid's world was incredibly knowledgeable in the arts of magic. But here stood a keyblade wielder who was completely unversed in subjects every keyblade wielder should know. It was like meeting an adult who couldn't tie their shoes.

There was also a matter of interest... _How had he come by his keyblade?_ He claimed to have never seen the weapon before today, it was possible that the bequeathing occurred when he was a toddler, so he did not remember. But the master, who had performed the ceremony, should've returned by now to take him as his apprentice. So either the bequeathing had been unintentional (which was rare, but possible if a heart was strong enough) or the master had fallen in combat before he could return…

_Thanks for that thought, brain._

Another thing Eraqus noticed was the way Xehanort seemed to grimace when asked about the Islands. Eraqus didn't find this entirely surprising. Of course a keybearer would want to be out in the action and helping people. Sure the islands were beautiful, but he definitely wouldn't want to stay permanently.

"Town hall is just down this way." Xehanort motioned down the street towards a sizable building surrounded in an iron fence, a familiar woman stood outside it.

"Master!" Eraqus called, rushing towards the open gates she stood in.

"Eraqus, you're back early. Am I to assume that you patrolled the ENTIRE island in the short time it took me to speak with this town's mayor." Minamimoto asked sternly.

Eraqus lowered his head guiltily, "Well, no. But we found something important that you really should see."

She raised an eyebrow at that, "And what pray tell was so important that it should distract you from your task?"

Eraqus was about to respond when Yen Sid, who had finally reached the gate spoke up instead, "He did." The sorcerer pointed at Xehanort.

She eyed the boy in black up and down, "You're a keybearer." It was a statement not a question, though there was a hint of surprise in her voice.

Eraqus' brow raised in question, "How did you know?"

"Keyblade wielders are capable of sensing our own." She replied off-handedly,"But you're local."

She looked away, obviously thinking about the same issue that troubled her apprentice.

There was a cold silence for several moments before Xehanort boldly broke it, "Master Minamimoto, with your permission, I'd like to join Eraqus and Yen Sid as apprentices under you."

Minamimoto lowered her gaze to meet the boy's own, while retaining a serious and grave stare, "The road we walk is not one to be taken lightly, young one. It is full of hardship and danger. Besides, surely you have a life here, people you care for, you'd be leaving th-"

"I have no one." Xehanort interjected.

"No one?" She asked inquisitively.

"There is nothing and no one here for me" The new keybearer confirmed.

"Hmm." The master watched Xehanort for sometime, "We shall finish this discussion later then. For now, we have a job to do."

The master turned back to her apprentices, "Heartless are hierarchical. Slay the herald, and the little ones will run home scared."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Eraqus smiled, pounding his fist against his palm.

"We can lure it out with our Keyblades, but we will need an area clear of civilians," Yen Sid added.

"You can use the play island." Xehanort offered, "The only ones out there now are parents and their kids who are too young for school. Shouldn't be a problem getting them to clear out."

The master eyed Xehanort again, but this time he met her stare with one of his own, he was clearly anticipating some sort of berating...

"Thank you." She replied, the words were kind and completely unlike her previous tone, "I must ask that you leave this to us."

The request shouldn't have surprised Xehanort, it was only natural that he'd be left behind due to his inexperience. Yet being left behind distressed him to no end.

"But I…" He began, but he had no counter argument, so he resigned with a respectful, "Yes ma'am."

She nodded to him, turned and strode purposefully towards the beach with Eraqus and Yen Sid on her heels. Xehanort followed as well, resolving to stay as close as possible, without being noticed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Xehanort watched from afar as the group "procured" a boat from an utterly bewildered salesman. And Xehanort began to make preparations of his own to head towards the small island, but was soon noticed by the boy in white, who smiled wittingly at him.

It was strange. Xehanort had pushed any friends away since he was young. He didn't let people get close to him, no matter how hard they tried. His walls always pushed them away, and yet Eraqus seemed to be completely immune to these walls.

_Maybe it was because the boy understood his yearning for more… perhaps that's what the keyblade sought in a heart. Longing to pass the horizon._

It was at this point that Eraqus must have realized Xehanort was staring at him because he began to move toward him.

"Thanks for the suggestion. This will be perfect," Eraqus gestured towards the island, "You really don't have to worry about The Master, she's actually really kind. It's just… The Keyblade is a huge responsibility."

"And she doesn't think I can handle it?" Xehanort asked indignantly.

"That's not what I meant." Eraqus quickly defended, "What I mean is that it's a tough way of life. She wants to make sure that you're not gonna run at the first sign of trouble."

"That's not who I am."

To his surprise, Eraqus laughed, "Yeah, I know. You're like me. You wanna see other worlds, learn about them and help people."

Xehanort paused and considered the words. The first two certainly were true, but he wasn't so sure about the last one… He never had thought of himself as a hero. The thought of thankful citizens cheering or being respected by all didn't really matter to him… Yet, he supposed he did care about people, and that they were given their best chance…

"See?" Eraqus insisted as if he could read Xehanort's mind, "You ARE like me."

"Hmm… Maybe I am."

Eraqus extended his hand and Xehanort shook it.

"See you when we get back."

Xehanort smiled, "Yeah, good luck."

Eraqus turned away and joined his companions in the boat as they rowed out.

Xehanort allowed himself to collapse in the sand. He laughed out loud, this was it. He stretched his hand out and willed his keyblade into his grasp, feeling incredible satisfaction as it appeared in that beautiful flourish of light.

Even the islands which he had resented for so many years, the ocean, the breeze, the sun were positively glorious.

He ran a hand down the blade. It had chosen him. HIM. Of all the people in all the worlds of the universe. This belonged to him. He admired it for several moments, though it could have been hours. This was his key, most literally and figuratively. He was free.

"No ocean can contain me now." He grinned. Nothing and no one could ruin this for him.

"XEHANORT!" A familiar voice raged, startling the boy and all of the other occupants of the beach.

"Damn." Xehanort muttered, he turned and faced the man. The person who he didn't want to see more than anything. All of the beach's denizens turned to watch the inevitable squabble.

His father glared at him, fury in his eyes, his fists clenched, "You were already in trouble, boy! Did you honestly believe, you could get away with skipping school!"

_School!_ He had completely forgotten. His lunch period must have ended over an hour ago. He had been so caught up in everything he hadn't even given it a thought.

"Well?!" His father demanded, "Did you?"

Xehanort hesitated, he could tell the truth, but the truth was utterly ridiculous. He could lie, but no matter what he said, he was still outside of school.

…

"I don't need to explain myself to _you_." Xehanort spoke without thinking.

"Excuse me?!"

"I'm eighteen, I don't need to explain myself to you." Xehanort reaffirmed, there wasn't a point to this. He was leaving, and he did NOT need to be reprimanded by a non-entity.

Xehanort could almost feel the intensity of the glare increase. But his audacious words seemed to have robbed his father of speech.

"What is that?" The man asked, finally seeming to notice Xehanort's keyblade, "What? Are you stealing now?!"

Xehanort cast a look at his keyblade, then he locked eyes with his father. A surge of resentment ran through him like a shock, "It's mine." He spoke rigidly.

"Like hell it is!" The man stepped forward reaching out for the blade,"You don't have the munny for a meal, let alone a whatever-that-is."

He grabbed at the hilt of the weapon, and tried to wrestle it from Xehanort's grasp. The boy clung to it like a lifeline, refusing to release his treasure.

"Let go!" Xehanort pulled desperately against his father's superior strength. _No, You will NOT take this from me!_ "I SAID LET GO!"

As he cried out, a faint purple aura appeared around the keybearer, rising from his body like smoke from a flame. His father was sent hurtling away from him into the dry sand ground.

The onlookers gaped at the scene unsure of what exactly had happened. Xehanort's father lay prone on the ground with a look of shock fixed on his face.

Xehanort stood glaring down at the man. His knuckles were white against his keyblade. HIS RIGHT! His mind didn't even register that he hadn't even laid a hand on his father. Time seemed to freeze as tension hung thick in the air.

***Woosh***

The noise broke Xehanort out of his trance as he turned to face the source of the new sound. He was not prepared for what he saw.

Rising from the ground was a gigantic black heartless. It's had a humanoid shape. It's legs were diminutive legs, but made up for it with hulking arms that could shatter a house with a single punch. It seemed to have a pair of stunted wings attached to its back, though it was impossible that such things could enable flight. Curiously, there was an empty heart-shaped hole where it's stomach should've been. It's face was disturbing, surrounded in black tentacles twisting all around it's head which obscured any features. All that shown from where it's face should be were two piercing yellow eyes menaced at the crowd.

The leader had followed the wrong keybearer...


	5. A New Destiny

The entire beach erupted into chaos. Pedestrians fled to the town for safety, desperate to escape the foreign beast. Mothers' were holding their children's wrists, the lifeguard's frantic orders did little to soothe the townsfolk, which were completely inaudible in the panic. Those in the water or close to it, attempted to swim to reach a more protected shore despite the incredible distance to such a place. Xehanort meanwhile stood frozen, his grip on his keyblade loose almost falling from his grasp. This had to have been the leader which the other's had gone after. Except it was here, and he was all alone. The heartless didn't make any sort of battle cry, it simply lumbered towards Xehanort and the town, its fists clenching at the sight of its prey, and it's footsteps rocking the ground beneath its feet. Despite it's lethargic pace, the creatures size ensured that it would reach the boy within a few steps. Xehanort didn't move. Fear rooted his legs into the sand. He had spent his whole life dreaming of adventure and excitement, and yet now as he faced it, his body betrayed him. His mind demanded that he attack or at the very least flee! But he couldn't. There was nothing he could do, but stand, and watch the creature in horror. It continued its pace and soon stood directly before him. As it did it finally came to stop and stared at the boy. Time stood still as the creature, so much larger than himself watched... It eyed the keyblade, betraying a cold malice, and for the first time since it arrived it released a low snarl. "RUN!" His father's voice scream, breaking Xehanort free of the paralysis that bound him, he took several steps back, his head swiveling to find the voice. His father still lay prone several feet away. _Why hadn't he fled?! Unless, my attack had…_ "Run, Xehanort!" The boy looked at his father, his eyes were tearstained with desperation. He sounded so scared… This was his fault... Yen Sid said it… the heartless were attracted to the keyblade… he had brought them… he had caused this… he had attacked his father… damaged or maybe broken his leg… He was responsible… he had killed his father... _No._ Xehanort's hand clutched his weapon tightener and he raised it in the air to make a fighting stance. He wouldn't - Couldn't run. He would fight, and if necessary die. The keyblade had chosen him, and he'd use it to make a better world. He promised himself this, he'd protect others to the very end, even if it meant dying. Xehanort let out a battle cry as he charged at the darkside, his keyblade poised to strike. The monster readied its fist, coating it in black and purple energy. It's fist came crashing down, but Xehanort rolled to the left, continuing his unrelenting advance . Xehanort slammed his blade against the creature's left leg, then again and again, but the creature hardly acknowledged the attempt. _It had to have a weakest link, something I could exploit, if not the legs then maybe-_ _*Twitch twitch*_ Xehanort whipped around to see several Shadow heartless jumping at him. He ducked under as they flew overhead, then looked to the spot where the Darkside's fist had made contact with the ground. His suspicions were confirmed, a pool of purple and black energy had appeared and was spawning the smaller heartless. The Darkside as last lifted his fist from the ground, And the pool vanished with it. The monster did not make another move, but instead observed silently as the shadows surrounded Xehanort. _He could do this…_ A shadow predictably lunged at him, which he sidestepped easily. Another swiped at his legs, and in response Xehanort leaped over it, bisecting the lesser heartless from behind with a downwards swing. The creatures continued their assault, but the determined keyblade wielder danced away from the attacks. Taking his time in defeating each one. It was strange, Xehanort had never been especially adept at play sword fighting as a child. But here he stood performing remarkably well, and without much thought. His arms weaved through the heartless as if recalling a long dormant muscle memory. As if he had learned them in another life. He knocked the final shadow to the sandy beach with a Zantetsuken, and stomped his foot on the heartless to finish it off. Xehanort smiled cockily, and took a moment to look at his father, still lying in the sand, who was gaping at the display of battle talent. _**Twomp!**_ The nearly forgotten Darkside backhanded the distracted Xehanort, sending him soaring through the air. He crashed into the sand mere feet away from his injured father. He struggled to his feet dazed, summoning his keyblade which had been knocked from his hand. But by the time his mind had processed what happened the heartless was already charging its next attack. It's arms were held out at his side, a swirling purple mass of energy was manifesting within the empty cavity in its chest. A moment later, the energy burst outwards into five spheres. Xehanort prepared to dodge out of the way, but thought better of it. If he moved his father would be left completely defenseless. He met the attack head on swinging his keyblade out against it. He cut through the first and second, but the third, fourth, and fifth hit him dead on. Xehanort skidded back, but kept his footing. He charged back towards the creature, suppressing his body's pleas for him to stop. The darkside brought back its fist, charging it once again with vile dark energy, before slamming it into the ground to create another portal. But this time Xehanort was ready. He leaped onto the arm, using it as a ramp to reach the head. He thrust his keyblade straight into the creature's glowing yellow eye! It recoiled, prematurally pulling its arm from the ground, removing the portal. It grabbed at its face, but Xehanort had already leapt back to the sand. It let out a low sort of grunt, and slammed it's hand against the beach, open palmed. It was trying to squash the keybearer like a bug. Xehanort continued to avoid the heartless' desperate attempts to crush him, striking at the hand whenever it got close enough. Eventually the creature grew tired of the pattern, finally releasing its face, it brought both hands into the ground, phasing through it, and pulling free a ball of orange and black energy. It held the orb up high and allowed it to explode, the fragments rained down on the battlefield in miniature grenade-like explosions. Xehanort avoided the explosions at first, but the shockwaves knocked him off balance and opened up his torso to four direct hits. By the time the attack had ceased, he was lying vulnerably on the ground, unable to move. The creature brought its fists above its head to smash his prone body. "Light!" Golden chains coiled around it's fists, forcing its hands together above it's head. A rejuvenating emerald glow enveloped Xehanort's exhausted body, healing it of the injuries the heartless had inflicted. Xehanort finally managed to turn his head to face his rescuers. Yen Sid stood over him, his keyblade at his side. Eraqus meanwhile was poised behind the darkside, his keyblade projecting the string of glistening chain, "You guys had better move, I can't hold this forever!" Yen Sid grabbed Xehanort from the ground and ushered him away as the chains cracked and shattered, allowing the attack to finally crash into the sand just where the two boys had been moments before. "Apologies for leaving you. We should've accounted for this possibility," Yen Sid offered contritely. "It's fine," Xehanort spoke quickly, scanning the battle again, "Where's the master?" "Defending the people on the island from the heartless that showed up there," Eraqus offered, having moved to join his comrades, "She figured it was a bad idea to send them here after we saw… well that." "Distract it." Yen Sid ordered, "I've got an idea." Xehanort noticed that he was smirking past the monster, but when he tried to glimpse what it was all he could see was the stretching blue ocean. Eraqus nodded knowingly, "Got it. Let's go." Xehanort didn't hesitate as the two took off towards the monster. The creature responded by conjuring more of it's minions, but the two of them effortlessly cut through the horde with an onslaught of slapshots. And moved towards the target. They leaped over the creature's arms as it attempted to bat them away, and they split in two directions, running around the base of the creature. It attempted to turn to attack Eraqus, but the creature for all its strength was slower than a tonberry. Xehanort leaped up slashing at its hand returning attention to him. But as the creature turned to attack him, Eraqus peppered it with light magic. The distraction was certainly working well, as the creature did not notice as Yen Sid slinked towards the sealine. The Sorcerer held out his hand and keyblade, focusing intently on the churning sea before him. Then, like a conductor directing an orchestra, he raised his hands… and the sea raised with them. Torrents of water erupted upwards, flowing towards and around him. He spun his keyblade in small circles as the water coalesced into a singular compact orb at the weapon's tip, "Now!" The apprentices hurled themselves away at the signal, a signal which also caught the attention of the heartless, who turned to face the wizard. Yen Sid leveled his keyblade at the monster's face… "Waterza!" Yen Sid commanded as the orb shot forward, colliding directly at the target in a Tsunami of saltwater. Droplets of water fell from the air, reflecting light in a way that might have been beautiful if not for the circumstances. The monster crumpled onto its knees, let out a grunt of defeat, and faded into darkness, no differently than a lowly shadow. Xehanort watched the spot where the heartless had stood moments earlier, a mixture of surprise and accomplishment flooded his face. "ALRIGHT!" A blur of white collided with Xehanort, nearly sending the boy back to the ground. Eraqus had his arm around Xehanort's shoulder and (What Xehanort thought was) an impossibly large grin on his face, "Nicely done! You fended that thing off without any training at all! You're a prodigy kid." Xehanort blushed a bit red at the praise, "No I mean I just got thrown around. I couldn't do anything to finish it like you guys." "I wouldn't sell yourself short." Yen Sid responded from some feet away. He was currently in the middle of casting a "cure" on Xehanort's father, "You performed admirably and kept the creature from venturing into town. If you had not acted, the damage could've been rather extensive." Xehanort ducked under Eraqus' arm and ran to his father, helping the man to his feet. He watched as the man tentatively took a step on his previously damaged foot. The man's face muscles must've stung, his look of surprise had not changed in several minutes, "Wha- I uh…" "That seems about right," Eraqus quipped as he dismisses his keyblade (again to the man's shock), "You're alright now sir, those monsters won't trouble you again. No need to thank us." "Thank you?" The expression morphed from confusion to anger, "Those creatures came at the same time you did. We've never had a problem with them before! Who the hell are you! How did you do those things!" "Father…" Xehanort started defensively. "No, son! They're dangerous, mark my words. They're outsiders, freaks even, and they need to get the hell off of our island before you sink the whole place!" "I wish I could do something that cool." Yen Sid muttered. "That's fine." Master Minamimoto walked toward the shore, a small group of shell-shocked looking parents and children at her heels, "We were leaving anyway." The father took in the master, apparently being intimidated by her powerful presence and silver keyblade, "W-Well good! I don't want to see any of you again! Come on, son." He gestured to Xehanort as he began to walk away. "No." The man's feet dug into the sand from his sudden halt to his march, he looked at the boy with a look of confusion. Xehanort held up his keyblade and dismissed it in a flash of blue light. His father's eyes grew wide at the sight for a moment but once again it became engulfed in fury, looking from Xehanort and Minamimoto, "Now listen here, boy-" "No," Xehanort repeated, with a fury matching his father's burning in his eyes, "These people saved us and our home. They were chosen for a purpose beyond this tiny world, and so was I! It's a task bigger than this island and you could even fathom! It will be filled with danger, and beasts. I'll never be safe now with this keyblade, and do you know the funniest thing? Deep down, it's all I've ever wanted and I've never been happier." "You can't! They're freaks! You have a life here! You can't go! I-I forbid it!" "I didn't ask your permission." Xehanort turned away from his father, "Go home. I'm sure mother is worried sick" "You ungrateful little… after all I've done, the sacrifices I've made for you and your life. Your throwing it all away. Well listen to me boy, you won't be happy. You'll never be happy. It's not in your nature." Xehanort didn't turn around, he didn't want to give the man the satisfaction of knowing how the words stung. Still after the final words of spite, the sound of shoes in the sand confirmed that the man had left. Eraqus took a step forward, placing his hand gently on his new peer's shoulder, "I'm sorry." Xehanort shook his head, "Don't be…. He never supported me in anything. This was going to happen anyway." He frowned, but didn't say another word. He didn't feel nearly as sad as he probably should have been. They had practically already had the argument even if they never put it into words. "Master?" Yen Sid questioned, finally breaking the somber tone, "Why did the heartless attack this beach rather than the one with us? Surely it should've targeted the larger group" "An interesting question, Yen Sid. I do not pretend to be an expert on the matter of the heartless, but I do know that they only act on instinct, something drew it here." Xehanort raises an eyebrow at that, "Me?" "I suppose we'll find out together." Xehanort's eyes widened to an unhealthy level, "You- You mean I can come?" She nodded, "I can't very well leave you here, now can I?" Pure joy erupted from his heart, completely eclipsing the lingering sadness. And despite his previous exhaustion from the battle, he suddenly felt like he could take a dozen of those creatures and run a marathon just for the sake of it. He literally had to restrain himself from jumping around in joy as if he were a child going to get sea salt ice cream. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" Xehanort practically yelled, resisting a strong urge to hug the woman. She smiled warmly before giving him the same stern look from their first meeting,"Don't make me regret it." "I won't, Master." "But before we go…" Eraqus started with a mischievous grin, "I believe we were promised a few hours at the beach?" XXXXXXXXXXXXX Well that was that. The keybearers had reigned victorious, though that was unsurprising. For all their faults (and he had observed many over the years) the wielders were persistent and powerful. A lethal combination to be sure, he would almost admire the warriors… that is if they were not the embodiment of everything in the world he despised. They were agents of peace and order, protecting the weak and saving the innocent. They traveled across the stars ensuring (and by that he meant enforcing) balance…balance which in his opinion was far too overrated. He was an agent of chaos. It was his joy in life to see things in discord. And when he had learned to travel to other worlds, business was at its best. He could trick and trade, turn kings and queens against one another and then move on to the next world without any fear being wrapped up in the turmoil . No repercussion except for them. The Denizen of darkness stretched the darkness in his heart, allowing it to coat his body in a shadowy aura. He reached out into the darkness of the world, and found something waiting for him. *woosh* A shadow appeared in front of him through a miniscule corridor of darkness. It stared at his chest, he could feel it's hunger… "_**No…**_" He spoke the words, but not out loud. It was like an echo made by his heart and amplified by his darkness. The creature backed up immediately, lowering its head in submission. A thin smile appeared on his face, "_**Climb the tree…**_" The creature turned on its heels and ran to the base of said tree. It buried its claws in the bark and began to move up towards at an impressive pace. It reached the top and perched on a branch as if it were some sort of trained pet. Finally as the task was complete it gazed, unblinkingly, back at him, awaiting it's next order. He let out a laugh of amusement and excitement, "_**Come here…**_" *woosh* *woosh* woosh* Several more corridors opened an dissipated and suddenly he was surrounded by several shadows. And there it was…The woman keybearer was correct, the heartless were hierarchical, and would obey the strongest. But that didn't mean that the strongest had the be a heartless. He would have to work on summoning the more powerful and specialized variants, of course, but this was a nice start. Perhaps it was finally time to make a visit beyond this realm… he had never dared enter the Realm of Darkness… his body was immortal, but the same could not be said of his heart, and he had heard tale of what the realm did to those who visited it. Still if it meant he could recruit an army, then it was worth the risk. "_**Leave...Come when you are called...**_" As the shadows vanished in a whirl of purple, he stretched out his hand to do the same. The trickster called up the shadowy portal of a dark corridor without any effort, and left the Destiny Islands behind. XXXXXXXXXXXXX Xehanort watched the sunset on the Destiny Islands one final time. His new master sat cross legged atop the old shack. She had been meditating since they'd arrived. Yen Sid, meanwhile, was practicing his water magic, conjuring various shapes and creatures. Eraqus had not only completed the obstacle course, but also shattered the long standing record… then proceeded to break his own record three times over. He was currently lying in the sand mere feet away, obviously exhausted. Xehanort himself had performed noticeably better at the course than usual… perhaps key bearing enhanced one's physical traits? Or maybe he was simply more confident in himself. This would be his last sunset before traveling himself to that horizon... "What a small world." He repeated the words like an echo. "I know, but every world is important. Even small ones that don't seem like they would be." Eraqus smiled up at him from his spot in the sand, "I can't wait for you to see Scala Ad Caelum! It's going to blow you away." "What's it like?" Xehanort asked attempting to ignore the familiarity of the conversation's beginnings. He hadn't told Eraqus about the man in the robe. He wasn't sure why exactly, it just felt like something that he needed to keep to himself. "I'm not gonna give you spoilers. That would ruin your reaction of seeing it for yourself...though if I had to describe it in one word, White." "White?" Xehanort took a seat in the sand as he ran through a number of possibilities of what that could mean. Snow? He'd never seen snow before… "Hey. What are those?" Eraqus pointed towards the small land mass connected to the play island by a bridge. Xehanort followed the finger to a certain star-shaped fruit. "Paopu fruit." Xehanort answered, "You've never seen paopu fruit?" "Nope, never even heard of it. Is it good." "Yeah… there's a whole legend around it." Xehanort looked to see if the idea held any interest and found that Eraqus was listening intently, "It symbolizes an unbreakable connection so, those who share them have their destinies intertwined. they'll stay a part of each other's lives, no matter what." "Interesting, ever tried it?" Xehanort's face was suddenly a deep shade of red, "No it's usually something that you do with… well." Eraqus gave a confused look, which soon turned into realization, "Oh! I see. You know, I know plenty of girls on Scala Ad Caelum, and they love keyblade wielders. I mean we're practically celebrities, I could-" "Anyway! Sailors also usually carry good-luck charms shaped like them so they can find their way back to their friends and family." "Nice story." "It's kinda stupid." "Nah, connected hearts is what being a keyblade wielder is all about. Besides something else you'll learn is that every legend has a bit of truth to it." Xehanort frowned in thought as if searching for words, "I wanna thank you…" Eraqus faltered, "What for?" "You've been kind to me even though we don't know each other… most people don't extend that courtesy… I don't usually extend that courtesy." "Eh, We'll work on it, after all we're friends now." "Huh, guess we are." A small orb of water sailed over their heads and exploded above them, soaking the two apprentices. This was followed by a quiet chuckle from Yen Sid, who was still standing on the dock. "Hey!" Eraqus protested, "What was that?" "A water spell." The sorcerer spoke in his usual calm tone. "Why you little-" Eraqus was in the middle of conjuring a small water spell of his own when they were interrupted by a loud **Bang!** Eraqus' spell immediately dissipated as he turned to face the source of the sound, Master Minamimoto, with an innocent grin. "As entertaining as watching Yen Sid sweep you away in a tidal wave would be… I believe it's time to return home." Eraqus feigned hurt at the comment, "Come on, I could take him." Yen Sid actually laughed at this, "In a magic duel? Unlikely." "Someone's cocky today." The keybearer smiled. "That's enough." The Master raised her hand for silence, though she sounded more amused at the conversation than agitated, "Xehanort, you will ride with Eraqus, his glider has the most room. Yen Sid, I assume you found the object I requested in that bag of yours." Yen Sid nodded, reached into a small blue pouch on his belt, and tossed Xehanort a small white object. He would have to inquire about what "found" meant another time, for now he examined the item. Upon inspection, he realized that it was a bracelet of white beads, each with intricate markings. It felt warm in his hand, as if he were heating his hands by a fireplace, "What is it?" "A bracelet of light," She explained, "It's a bit old fashion, and not good for long term travel due to time constraints. But it has more than enough power to reach Scala Ad Caelum."  
Xehanort slid the bracelet on his wrist and found that it fit perfectly, it must have been made for people his age… as he placed it he also felt the warmth of the beads spread across his entire body. "Alright time to go." Minamimoto summoned her keyblade, called the lanes between, and tossed it skyward, in a flash of light her glider answered her call. The apprentices followed suit and boarded their own vehicles. It was a testament to the day it had been that Xehanort didn't even question the notion of a mechanical flying horse. Suddenly the air began to rush past his face, and through his hair as the "glider" ascended into the setting sky of the Destiny Islands. And so as the sun set, the keyblade wielder, Xehanort, left Destiny Islands behind in favor of a life as an adventurer and hero.

_Editor's Note: Blame me for the late post time, and I apologize. Also Zantetsuken was the name of a powerful combo finisher that could be performed by Sora. I want to try to add more KH terminology into fight scenes. Please comment if you liked including more terms from KH combat or if it just feels weird._ _Author's note: Not entirely fair on the late postage being your fault, could've gotten it to you sooner, but then again then I wouldn't have had as much time to play my new FFIX… no you're right it's your fault._


	6. Stairway to Heaven

The skies of Scala Ad Caelum crackled with sparks, followed by lightning as the sky split open in a spectacular array of bright colors. Three gliders emerged from the breach in space, faithfully carrying their masters and their extra passenger.

Xehanort leaned out as far as the glider would allow as he marveled at the ivory mountains that would serve as his new home. It was apparently the late afternoon which was bizarre, since it was only sunset when they left the islands. _Does every world have a different sun or does time flow differently between them? _

Xehanort shelved his ever growing list of questions as he allowed himself to simply enjoy the sight of a new world. Despite being on the water there was a surprising lack of boats, instead small carts were moving from mound to mound via what appeared to be a zip line. Then there were the mounds themselves…

"Hey!" Xehanort called to Eraqus, his voice scarcely audible over the sound of the wind rushing past, "These islands, are they man-made?"

Eraqus chuckled, "Yeah, sharp eye. The original town was flooded a long time ago, but we, keyblade wielders, have always been a bit stubborn. Anyway I'd say they did a fairly impressive job."

"No kidding…" Xehanort muttered. The architecture was masterfully built, a fact that had tipped him off about the mountains' artificiality. The white and gold palette reflected the perpetually sunny skies causing the entire city to shimmer with light. Xehanort also noticed the large amount of windmills which must have been the city's main power source.

The glider swooped toward a particular island; there was a rowdy marketplace on the lower tier, and several buildings circled around a fantastic tower which stood taller than any other. Xehanort assumed it was a governing building judging by its size and placement. However, these assumptions soon proved incorrect as the gliders flew down and landed on top of the tower's rooftop.

The three pilots unhesitatingly leapt from their gliders, dismissing their armor as they landed on the stone laid floor. The Master and Yen Sid's glider disappeared as they did so, but Eraqus' lingered as did it's passenger. Xehanort slowly and slightly unsurely climbed down from the glider as if he was dismounting an actual horse or a chocobo.

"Welcome to the citadel!" Eraqus threw his arms outward, gesturing to the entirety of the tower, "Home, sweet home."

Xehanort gaped, "This is your home?"

Yen Sid smiled, "I had a similar reaction, but this world's entire culture revolves around keyblade wielding."

"That's correct," It was the master who spoke now, "In the age of fairy tales and the years following, this world's entire population was made up of keyblade wielders, and even as our numbers dwindled the ruler was always a keybearer."

Xehanort raised an eyebrow, "So does that mean that you are this world's ruler?"

She laughed at the thought, "No, I am not, and I don't believe we came here to discuss my world's politics."

"Generally those are messed up in most worlds." Eraqus whispered to Xehanort.

"Yen Sid. Eraqus. Perhaps you would be so kind as to give Xehanort a tour. I must send a message to Master Elias about our findings." The master turned and walked into the citadel without another word.

"Who's Master Elias?" Xehanort questioned, he had a feeling he wouldn't stop asking question for a long time.

"He's great. He was the master's fellow apprentice during training. He's the steward of the Land of Departure."

"And that is?"

"...Complicated, but it's a world we are sworn to safeguard." Yen Sid interjected.

"Yeah it's hard to explain," Eraqus agreed, "Anyway, let's get on with the tour."

The tour was lengthy, but this was to be expected as the tower was for all intents and purposes a castle. The citadel had a small staff of caretakers which kept things in order, and also cooked for the residents (however these duties were largely shared with any active apprentices to teach "responsibility"). Xehanort was presented green crystals encircled by rings which were some form of power storage device. There were many specialized training rooms, an audience hall featuring several thrones, a lavish kitchen and connected dining hall, storage rooms, the largest library he'd ever seen, and finally a lounge.

The lounge, according to Eraqus, was where they spend most of their time when not training. The room, like most of the castle, had black and white tiled floors, and was illuminated with antique black lamps. Close to the door was a set of furniture complete with couches, chairs, and a coffee table.

There were shelves on the wall mostly filled with board games, the games obvious saw a great deal of use since the boxes bore worn and damaged edges. On the far side of the room sat a large window with white curtains embroidered with diamond shapes. A small table sat close to the window on the left with books haphazardly scattered across it. On the right sat another energy crystal, and a fireplace with-

Xehanort paused. He was looking at a keyblade. It was mounted to the wall in the center of a rather ornate display embellished with sculptures of other golden keyblades, a heart, and a keyhole. The keyblade itself was deep black contrasting it's golden background. It's guard was comprised of black wings stretching outward, as if ready to fly, and on the edge sat a goat head mold just like the one that decorated his own blade. The shaft was divided in two with deadly spikes jutting outwards like the thorns of a rose. It's teeth formed another wing, but he found himself being drawn to an emblem fixed in it's center. It was a green eye, it's pupil resembled a slit like a snake's, and upon further investigation the same eye was featured as the keyblade's token.

He didn't even realize that he was reaching out to it till his hand was grabbed by Eraqus, "What are you doing?"

The question wasn't harsh or inquisitive, but one of authentic curiosity. Xehanort considered an answer, but he wasn't sure why he had reached for the blade at all.

"What is it?" He finally asked.

"The Gazing Eye." Yen Sid replied, but there was an edge of uncertainty in the boy's voice when he answered which Xehanort had never heard from him before.

"That's not what it's called… well not technically," Eraqus took a breath as if preparing to tell a long story, "It doesn't have an official name… it's an heirloom. This is the first keyblade ever created. It's been passed down from master to student since its creation in the age of fairy tales."

The familiar feeling of a new question entered Xehanort, "Shouldn't it be with it's master then? What's it doing hanging up here?"

Eraqus let out a long sigh, "They died before they took on an apprentice. It was bound to happen eventually… no one was really sure what to do with it after that. There were those who wanted to pass it down to a new master, but others felt that it wouldn't be right. In the end, it got hung up, an ancient relic."

_That doesn't feel right. A magic weapon that was the first of its kind… and now it's been reduced to a mere decoration_. A feeling deep within Xehanort reawakened, it had been the same feeling from that day on the beach, the feeling that had confirmed his belief that other worlds existed. And so he knew, even if he did not know how he knew it. That Keyblade would belong to him someday. It was **meant** for him. The most ancient keyblade in existence was his destiny.

By the end of the tour, it had become late into the night, and the apprentices moved to the last stop, the bed chambers.

All the rooms in the apprentice section were in essence the same. They were medium sized, no different from the size of Xehanort's own room back home. They featured a bed, a desk, shelves, a single window, etcetera. Each was also equipped with a personal bathroom. However despite the rooms having the same base, Xehanort could see that they had been customized by their occupants.

Eraqus' room was a clash between a normal teenager and that of a samurai, which was possibly the most ridiculous combination imaginable. He had a dart board hung over his dresser, and a banner for some sort of unknown sports team on the wall, it looked like they were playing with giant pieces of fruit. But besides that the room was fairly minimalist with a small set-up for meditation by the window.

Yen Sid's on the other hand was filled to the brim with different magical totems and emblems. The shelves were packed with different spell books, and bottles full of unknown ingredients. A rather expensive looking telescope was by the window. His desk was an absolute mess with several stacks of notes piled to the ceiling. It also featured a rather unique (and creepy) candle atop what looked to be a human skull. He hadn't pegged Yen Sid to be into that kind of thing, so most likely it was some sort of artifact.

Finally, Xehanort entered an unoccupied bedroom which he supposed belonged to him now. He tossed down a small duffle on the desk, the only possession of which he carried from the islands. It had his journals, and a few of his favorite books from home, but that was it. He didn't bring any clothes as he had been told they would be provided, and he didn't really have any personal belongings…

"Well, this is it." Eraqus was standing in the doorway his face still shining with his ever present smile, "It's a little barren, but you can spruce it up later. There's nightwear in the dresser, and the master should have your training clothes here by morning."

"Sounds good." Xehanort responded sluggishly. He hadn't realized how tired he was until he saw his very own bed.

Yen Sid seemed to catch on to this even if Eraqus hadn't, "We'll let you rest. It's the day after a mission, so training won't begin until nine. Rest Well, don't let the Sahagins bite."

"The what?!" Xehanort asked as he jumped off his bed slightly frightened.

"I'm kidding… they don't bite, they scratch and stab," Yen-Sid teased.

"Goodnight!" Eraqus managed as Yen Sid pulled him out the doorway and closed it behind them.

Xehanort opened the dresser, and slipped into his grey pajamas. He worried about not being able to fall asleep, especially in a new bed.

However, this worry was unfounded because as soon as he hit the pillow, exhaustion overtook him and he was sleeping deeply. He dreamed of a hollow wasteland, a black coat, and an ancient key.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Xehanort...Xehanort wake up."

His senses returned to him slowly at the call, and slowly he opened his eyes to reveal a vaguely familiar face over him, "Eraqus?"

"Time to get up! Don't wanna start your first day of keyblade training late, do you?" Eraqus was still smiling despite the fact that it was- Xehanort glanced at the clock- seven in the- _wait seven_?

"I thought training started at nine after a mission… Why are you up so early."

Eraqus offered only a mischievous grin and the ambiguous response, "We're going out to celebrate. New clothes are on top of the dresser. Be ready in five."

And with that the keybearer was out the door. It was very clear that Eraqus was a morning person… Xehanort however was not. The youth slowly crawled out of bed and made his way over to the dresser, like Eraqus said there was a small stack of clothes lying there. Still, Xehanort couldn't tell there exact style without trying them on so…

Xehanort quickly changed out of his pajamas and put on the new clothes. They were very similar to Eraqus and Yen Sid's, it consisted of a black shirt with two grey straps crossing over his chest. His pants were grey as well, held up by a brown belt marked with the keyblade's emblem. Finally he wore a black overcoat, only slightly longer than Eraqus' own.

Xehanort smiled at his own reflection, he thought the clothes suited him, and it happened to be in his favorite color. He summoned his keyblade and posed in a fighting stance before the mirror, before scolding himself for being so foolish.

He dismissed his weapon and left the room to find his two peers waiting in the corridor.

"Nice look for you," Eraqus said eyeing the new outfit, "If you like black."

Xehanort rolled his eyes, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." Eraqus responded nonchalantly as he turned and began walking down the hall.

Xehanort looked to Yen Sid for answers, but the sorcerer just smiled gesturing for the unenlightened apprentice to walk ahead of him.

Xehanort sighed and followed. The short walk took them out of the citadel and down to the marketplace. The marketplace was fairly inactive as it was still early in the morning, but Xehanort knew from flying over the city on his arrival that it would soon be bustling with vendors and clientele.

Eraqus led the way to a small building in the past square. It bore a sign reading "Filou's" and looked to be some sort of tavern.

"We're drinking?" Xehanort asked perhaps with a bit more enthusiasm than he should've had. He'd had alcohol before, but never without permission from his parents.

"Nope, drinking age is twenty-one here besides keyblade wielders shouldn't be drinking anyway." Eraqus lectured.

"We're not on duty," Xehanort responded snarkily.

Yen Sid shrugged, "We're always on duty."

The trio made their way into the tavern; it was actually adequately occupied despite the time of day. It must have been quite a popular spot. They made their way to the bar where some kind of blue creature washed glasses. It had large hands and a thin body, it's head was something like a frog with it's cheeks blown out, it also had two antenni.

"Hey Barkeep." Eraqus called cheerfully.

The creature's head perked up from his work, his eyes widening at the sight of the boys, "Young Mashter Eraqush and Yen Shid! Sho good to shee you."

"You too Barkeep," Yen Sid smiled affably at him.

"And you brougsh a new friend, yesh?" Barkeep eyed the third boy with what he thought was a smile.

"This is Xehanort, he's a new apprentice," Eraqus introduced the two, "Xehanort, this is Barkeep, he's a hypello, and a good friend."

"Nice to meet you," Xehanort replied offering his hand and Barkeep shook it happily, the others hadn't mentioned the lisp, so Xehanort could only assume that it was natural.

"I will get you your ushuals," Barkeep said as he began preparing drinks, "What would Mishter Xenahort like?"

Xehanort choked back laugh at the pronunciation, "Coffee, black"

"Hey Barkeep?" Eraqus said, looking around for someone, "Is Filou in?"

"Hesh here somewheres."

Xehanort looked to his guides, "Filou owns the place, I assume."

"Yeah, he's pretty cool." Eraqus replied simply.

Yen Sid, on the other hand, looked harsh, "He's a bit irritating if you ask me."

"Now is that anyway to talk about a friend." An unfamiliar voice came from the employee only door as the man entered. The newcomer, Filou most likely, had black hair, and a matching goatee. He wore a simple black tee, jeans, and looked to be in his mid-thirties.

Filou walked in front of Eraqus and began speaking with him nonchalantly, "Little Samurai, I see you're doing well. How's Mina?"

"You know that if she heard you calling her that she'd kill you, right?" Eraqus responded cheekily.

Filou smirked, "As if! The two of us share a… special connection."

Xehanort snorted at the implication which caused the man to notice him.

"Another one huh?" Filou eyed Xehanort's new clothing, "Well newbie, welcome to program as they say."

"Thanks," Xehanort responded though he wasn't sure how sincere Filou was actually being. It was obvious why someone so whimsical clashed with Yen Sid's constant no-nonsense demeanor.

"Filou does odd jobs around the town and the citadel occasionally, he used to be a guardsman… but he got on Sir Harvey's nerves a few to many times." Eraqus explained.

"Listen, the guy is a dirty little sneak, I'm glad I don't have to work for him anymore." chided Filou.

"Speaking of. Don't you have work to do?" Yen Sid asked pointedly, "Somewhere else preferably?"

"Touchy aren't we, occultist…" Filou replied, but he didn't seem offended at the contempt, "He's right though, I'd better head out. Barkeep you're in charge."

"Yesh Shir" The amphibian saluted before passing out three drinks to the apprentices, "Enjoy."

"Little harsh, Yen Sid. I know you don't like him, but that was rude for no reason" Eraqus voiced as he drank his tea.

"Agreed, I admit the guy was grating, but he was being friendly," Xehanort added.

"He's constantly skirting his responsibilities on Barkeep, he never takes anything **seriously**, and-"

"And he drew on your face when you were asleep in the lounge." Eraqus finished with a small snicker. Xehanort, however, began to laugh which resulted in Eraqus doing the same.

"That quill was enchanted! It took me hours to remove it!" Yen Sid yelled indignantly, however this only caused the other two to laugh harder.

After an hour worth of laughing and eating breakfast, the trio made their way back to the tower where they found their Master waiting for them on the steps.

"I hope you enjoyed yourselves," She began, her voice was using the same stern tone from when Xehanort had first met her, "Because today, Xehanort, begins your training to wield the keyblade. Are you ready?"

Xehanort didn't hesitate, "Yes, Master."

She smiled, "Then let's begin."

X-X-X

_Author's note: For those who haven't played FFX, the hypellos are from there, and Barkeep is a character in the sequel X-2 where he serves as the barkeep on the Gullwings' airship. If it wasn't obvious who Filou is supposed to be… well I can't help you. But I can tell you it means rogue in french._

_Editor's Note: Sorry for the late release, that's on me. I got sidetracked researching some material for the next world… a disney world. Now it's not my place to say, but the author and I are super excited to work on what's coming... soon. So just grab your lucky coin and get ready for an adventure!_


	7. 181 Days over 3

**Day 1: Entry 1**

_Today I began my training as a keyblade wielder, the day was not nearly as exhausting as made it out to be. It began with what Eraqus called Keyblade Wielding For Dummies: fighting with a keyblade. The main difference between wielding a keyblade and a sword… or even a whip for that matter is the weight difference, keyblades are surprisingly light and easy to swing in fluid motions, not that different from the wooden swords that were so popular on the islands. We merely touched upon magic, the master suggested I meditate as a means of "expanding my magical power."_

_My studies will not be entirely combat focused though. I must learn to be diplomatic when dealing with the leaders of other worlds. It is also important to be capable of analyzing any specific world's unique laws and hierarchy_.

**Day 7: Entry 4**

_My training has been progressing quickly, I proved to be a natural in the "keymanship" as I previously observed during my battle with the heartless known as a "Darkside." My magical skills, while unhoned, are advancing while learning of a fire spell. During my time I have taken note of both of my peers' capabilities._

_Eraqus:_

_Strengths_

_-mostly a physical fighter preferring to engage an enemy in close combat_

_-Predictably allows his enemy to make a move and then countering. _

_Weakness_

_-His magic is rather lacking (though I am currently not one to judge)_

_-except for his fire and light magic (__**POWERFUL**_) are unexpectedly potent.

_Yen Sid:_

_Near antipode to Eraqus_

_A strange fascination with fireworks_

_Strengths_

_-Excels in all forms of magic, sometimes even matching the Master's own expertise. _

_-Magical energy is exceptional, able to continually attack magically without significant recharge time._

_Weakness_

_-His "keymanship," on the other hand, while adequate, leaves much to be desired. _

_-Compensates for this with close-range spells to gain the upper hand._

**Day 13: Entry 5**

_The Master mentioned to me today an event infamously known as the Keyblade War, apparently, this war is responsible for the many precepts upheld by keybearers to this day, including the "world order." Unfortunately, the master neglected to elaborate on the story, only divulging that it was fought by keyblade wielders over a force known as __Kingdom Hearts__. For now, I'll focus on becoming a worthy keyblade wielder, but perhaps I can find more information on this event in the library at a later date._

_Meanwhile, Eraqus finally managed to drag me away from training to play "chess." Despite sharing the name and goal of the game found in literally every other world in the known universe, I found that the chess on Scala Ad Caelum operates with entirely different and equally confusing rules. It doesn't help that the board itself is magical either. Despite Eraqus constantly besting me at the game, I still find myself enjoying it. Yen Sid, meanwhile, usually spends his free time practicing magic and crafting spells_. _He refers to the game as and I quote, (I even asked him again of his opinion on this so I can accurately transcribe his feelings towards it) "An insult and abomination to every practitioner of the mystic arts and every living creature that retains even an ounce of magic within them; the game could only be conceived by an inconsequential dolt, undoubtedly dropping a handful of baubles onto a piece of Banora White wood with the sole intention of amusing a group of 2nd graders." I feel like it would be best if I didn't invite him to play tomorrow during our break. _

**Day 25: **

"Checkmate." Eraqus boasted, having finally cornered his goat-headed king between a queen with a head resembling a raindrop and a knight with a head of a heart. Xehanort had been obliterated, but he had come closer than ever to finally winning.

"Yeah yeah, you got lucky," Xehanort replied, slouching back against the window, "Besides I think this board plays favorites."

"Sure, blame the magical board," Eraqus chuckled, "I suppose I got lucky the time before that and the time before that too?"

Xehanort smirked, "Something like that."

"You're a sore loser."

Xehanort brought his hand to his chest as if the words had wounded his heart, and gave an exaggerated wince, "You wound me."

Eraqus laughed at the display and Xehanort found himself chuckling too.

*BOOM*

The pair leapt from the window sill, their Keyblades already in their hands, "Where did that come from?"

Eraqus looked unsure for a moment, then replied, "The workshop, I think. Come on!"

They sprinted from the lounge, practically throwing the old door from its hinges. The workshop was close enough that they arrived within moments.

They burst through the doors and found the room in ruins. The windows had been blown out, and ash from the explosion blanketed the scorched walls. Tables had been appended across the room, and the charred loose pages of several books were lying scattered on the soot-stained floor. At the center of the room sat Yen Sid extinguishing a small fire with a water spell, "It's alright guys, just me."

"Wha- What did you do?" Eraqus shrieked in utter bewildered.

"I attempted to imbue an infusion of different magical crystals into a receipting object, but the crystals reacted… violently… to the magic, which I had already inlaid it with. Now it's gone and I have to start all over again."

Xehanort shook his head, "Start what over? What were you making?" He looked at the remains of the room and found tattered fabrics, but no other indication of what the young sorcerer had been working on remained.

"A… totem… of sorts." Yen Sid replied vaguely as he continued to clean up the mess.

Eraqus and Xehanort exchanged a puzzled look before pressing forward, "What kind of totem?"

Yen Sid sighed, "I'd rather not say until it's done, don't want to get your hopes up."

"Don't worry," Eraqus responded, "Our expectations are always low when it comes to your experiments."

"Ha ha…" Yen Sid snapped back angrily.

"For some reason, I doubt the sincerity of your laughter," Xehanort prodded, "Come on, you can tell us."

"I said, **No**!" The final word echoed menacingly throughout the shambles of the once elaborate and cutting edge workshop.

**Day 26: Entry 5**

_My abilities are growing at an "exceptional" rate (according to The Master). In reality, my success can be attributed to my many sleepless nights of rigorous practice, I have also made a point to read several books on magical theory, which Yen Sid has skeptically loaned to me, I hope to learn all of the basic elemental magic spells within the month, so I may proceed to the more advanced variants._

_Eraqus and I continue to play chess between training sessions meanwhile Yen Sid works on a "secret project" within his room, Eraqus and I made a bet on his long it is before he destroys his room as well._

**Day 53: Entry 7**

_Today marks the 53rd day of my training, I have successfully learned the basic elemental spells. Apparently, time magic is supposed to be rather difficult, (Eraqus in particular struggles with it) but I found its use to be quite a sim_-

"So are you gonna order something or what?"

Xehanort looked up from his latest journal entry to find Felou looking over him, a tray of empty glasses clutched in his right hand.

"I have other customers"

"So?" Xehanort responded blankly.

"Customers need this counter to eat, and you can write anywhere kiddo."

Xehanort rolled his eyes at the nickname, but offered a simple answer, "Eraqus told me I needed to get out of the tower.."

"Ah, big brother looking out for you, huh" Felou mocked as he slid into the seat next to him, "I had two of those. Oldest was always telling me what I was doing wrong and how I could be better. Annoying beyond belief. The other was a bit of a muscle head, but I knew he'd take on the entire world for me."

Xehanort simply shrugged, "I'm an only child so I wouldn't know what that's like." He'd never even had any real friends before the keyblade appeared.

"You don't have to be related by blood to be family. Being brothers is something so much more than just your body." Felou explained, "Here let me break it down for you. I had plenty of siblings. They look out for you and you look out for them. Your Hearts connect and you're never alone"

Xehanort repressed an urge to roll his eyes, the man sounded like something right out of a movie, yet there was a longing to his words, "Where are they now? They live around here?"

An emotion clouded Felou's face that didn't suit him at all… sadness, maybe even a sense of loneliness, and Xehanort knew the answer before the man spoke, "No, they're all gone now. My brothers, sisters, even dear old dad."

The boy winced at the words even if he had expected them, "I'm… sorry."

"That's the thing about family. They can slip right through your fingers, just like anything you care about. Hang on to your brothers kiddo, while you still got 'em." The man rose slowly from his stool, taking a brief moment to compose himself "Now... order something or get out."

Felou walked back behind the bar and moved on to another customer, leaving the young apprentice to consider his words, yet if family was so strong… then why had his first fallen apart so easily? He had left them behind, cast them away, he had no family.

"The bond of brothers," the boy thought aloud, "Yeah right…"

**Day 100: Entry 9**

_Eraqus calls me a "prodigy," but my magic skills fall short of Yen Sid, and my physical combat skills fall short of Eraqus. I wish to excel in my own area, but I find this difficult given their superior experience. _

_I long to see other worlds. Perhaps it's foolish to expect an assignment so soon into my training, but it doesn't stop this urge to see what's out there. There is only so much one can learn from mere books and charts._

**Day 152:**

"Excuse me," Xehanort stood before the Citadel's elderly librarian, "Do you know what section has books on the Keyblade War?"

"The Keyblade War, a most troubling time in our history…" The old lady frowned deeply, "Still those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it."

The old librarian rose from her padded chair and began to move through the shelves of the library, meticulously fixing the placement of the assorted texts, even though Xehanort could see nothing wrong with them. Finally, she reached a blank wall and pressed against it with her palm.

The wall became animated with life and twisted to reveal a hidden chamber. _Of course there's a secret passage._ The room was rather small with three walls covered in books and texts, and a single decrepit chair.

A glass case stood in the center of the room shielding a single ancient green leather book from the harsh strain of time.

Xehanort eyed the book's crumbling cover, echoing the title aloud "Dandelion Rule Book."

The librarian tapped on his shoulder, "I will have to ask you not to remove **that** from the case, the binding is quite fragile. Otherwise, these texts are always open to any keybearer seeking knowledge but remember, I must warn you that even our knowledge of the war is incomplete, I doubt any living soul knows the full truth of what happened that day."

He smiled, "I'll do my best. Love a good mystery."

**Day 159: Entry 15**

_To say that information on the keyblade war is scarce would be putting it mildly, even within that chamber, I found that the few texts relating to the war are as vague as the master's retelling. I know that the war was fought over Kingdom Hearts and that in the aftermath the World was divided into its present state, but how did the war begin? For whom was it fought? What caused Kingdom Hearts to vanish leaving the previous World to fall into darkness? Perhaps there exists more detailed knowledge elsewhere… I will have to see what I can find (assuming I am ever tasked with a mission)._

**Day 181**

The knight swung its massive broadsword at Xehanort, but the apprentice quickly parried the blade. He countered lashing out against the knight's armor with his keyblade, the attack had minimal effect, but Xehanort's speed was impressive enough to avoid the brunt of the knight's attacks. It was impressively made to be sure, but Xehanort found that programs lacked the ingenuity of actual fighters.

He rolled out of the broadsword's path, but as he did so the knight grabbed him with its iron-clad grip. _Then again maybe not. _The knight threw the surprised apprentice over his head and towards the ground, but Xehanort simply twisted in mid-air, landing gracefully on his feet.

"Freeze," Xehanort's spell hit the knight squarely in the chest freezing a portion of its armor, but it didn't seem fazed considering it was already barreling back toward the apprentice.

"Stop." The spell froze the enemy mid-run allowing him to casually step aside of his opponent's trajectory. The simulation resumed its sprint crashing into the wall and collapsing onto the floor. It struggled to find its feet, but Xehanort was already on top of him, his keyblade piercing the gaps between the armor, "Burn!" the young duelist yelled as his keyblade's tip steadiest itself against the knight's helmet.

The spell blasted from the keyblade sending paths of fire spreading out from where his keyblade touched the knight. Defeated the simulation fizzled away in a swarm of zeros and ones. Xehanort took a deep breath and dismissed his keyblade.

*Clap* *Clap*

"Nicely done!" Yen Sid entered the chamber with Eraqus close behind, "Your progress is beyond incredible."

Xehanort shrugged, "Not really, you want to know what's incredible? This technology! I mean fully functioning simulations. That's a pipe dream back on the islands. Who invented this stuff?"

The two apprentices looked to Eraqus, "Um… would you believe that I have no idea?"

"No."

"Absolutely not."

Eraqus scratched his head, "Hey, it's not just me, we've just always had access to this stuff. I could be wrong, but I think it dates back to the age of fairy tales."

Xehanort gaped, they had possessed this technology for thousands of years!? The islands had barely even invented television

"We could ask the master?" Yen Sid offered.

Xehanort just shook his head, "If she ever gets back that is… It's been two weeks at the Land of Departure with only a single message telling us that 'their investigating something'. If she was going to be gone so long the least she could've done is brought us along." The eager apprentice ran his fingers over his pauldron longingly. He hadn't left Scala Ad Caelum since his arrival six months ago (with the exception of riding through the lanes between for practice.)

Eraqus looked affronted, "Hey, I'm sure she had a good reason."

Xehanort rolled his eyes. Eraqus always sided with the master on everything. He had placed her on a towering pedestal, and while Xehanort certainly shared an admiration for the Keyblade Master, she was still human in his eyes.

"Perhaps, we should return to training," Yen Sid suggested attempting the change the subject, "It's a nice day, we can go out flying."

Xehanort and Eraqus grinned, their disagreement instantly forgotten, as they raced towards the door, shoving each other in an attempt to reach it first.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Night had fallen on the Land of Departure, storm clouds stood overhead churning and thundering on the naturally peaceful mountains. The villagers on the distant grasslands would be sheltered in their homes tonight, their children trembling in their beds as lightning struck down around them. Their parents would constantly assure them that all was well, but they too felt something was wrong. The storm was discomforting even to the seasoned Keyblade Master. This world towered over the realm between, and was uniquely connected to the World's balance… and this storm had lasted nine days…

"Something is coming, Elias." Minamimoto voiced her concerns for the latest time as she paced about the grand hall's floor. She had insisted on prolonging her return home until the storm passed, despite her friend's insistence that it was likely natural. In the end, she had been right and the storm had relentlessly pressed on.

The fatigued steward sat in the center throne, rubbing his dull, tired eyes, "I know, Mina, I know. But we can't stop something when we don't know what the problem is."

"We know full well what the problem is," The woman shot back hotly, "It's no coincidence that the heartless breached the realm of light six months ago, something or someone is leading them."

"Even if that is true, which I pray it isn't. We can't just barge into the realm of darkness and curb the heartless population, and we can't move against whoever might be in charge without knowing their identity and location."

Minamimoto slumped into her throne, "I should return to my apprentices, and bring them back here, even if the storm passes and nothing comes, better safe than sorry…"

"Agreed, Cecil and his guard are more than skilled enough to protect The Stairway, at least for the time being." Elias paused, trying to sound enthusiastic despite the fact he hadn't slept in days, "Besides, I haven't even met your new apprentice yet."

Mina managed a slight smile, "You'd like him, he loves his stories."

"Maybe he should've been mine then, you're terrible at stories,"

The Master rolled her eyes, "Everyone seems bad at storytelling next to you." She rose from her throne and made her way towards the stairs, Elias followed next to her.

"If, and this is a big if, someone is summoning the heartless then that risks a far greater threat, the heartless could become uncontrollable and destroy the walls between the worlds. Which would be..."

Minamimoto understood his worry, "Chaos, anybody would be able to cross over."

"But even if we stop the tide of darkness, there's still the issue of the one who is controlling them. The worlds are many and the corridors of darkness are a swift means of travel."

"I'll send my apprentices. They're not boys anymore, and it's time they had a real mission…"

Elias nodded, "A keyblade master must always be present here… I can't go."

"Then it's settled… I'll be back in within eighteen hours, don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything you would do… maybe we're in trouble then" Elias joked.

"And get some sleep. You're no use to anyone, sleep-deprived as you are."

He let out a low chuckle which shifted into a deep yawn, "Yes ma'am."

Minamimoto hugged Elias before lifting up her hand, letting her keyblade ap-

*Woosh*

A swirling mass of blackness suddenly materialized in the courtyard's center. Hundreds of shadows clustered tightly together crashed through the blackened sky ramming into the two tired masters dead-on…

The after-images slowly faded away revealing both masters standing now on the steps of the Castle of Departure, completely unharmed. Elias' keyblade flashed into his grip, "A Demon Tide?… someone doesn't want us interfering…"

The massive assemblage came around a second time, but again it was denied, this time by a barrier of interlinking hexagons conjured by Minamimoto, "They should've sent more."

As if on cue several demon towers sprouted from the ground to join the stronger heartless in battle. Elias glared at his best friend, "Really Mina? You had to say it. Looks like you should just call your apprentices instead."

The master rolled her eyes at her comrade's remark and retreated back into the castle, leaping up the stairs three steps at a time, leaving Elias to fend off the attack. Elias surveyed the onslaught that stood before him. He calmly took a deep breath in and closed his eyes. As he exhaled he slowly opened his eyes revealing a red hue overtaking his eyes, they hardened into a lethal gaze set upon the demon tide. He lifted up his arm displaying his keyblade reversed in his palm, resembling more of a manner one might hold a dagger. He shouted out to the courtyard one word, some might assume that he was telling himself what to do, but as Minamoto heard his shout, she knew that the word wasn't meant for himself, she knew him too well to assume that. It was a warning, advice he had given to the heartless. As he charged into battle the word still echoed through the halls of the castle, "Run".

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know I always wished I could fly when I was a kid. Now I have actual wings…" Xehanort reminisced as the trio walked back down from the citadel's roof.

"Yeah, I used to do the same… but now, I have a magic machine horse." Eraqus replied.

"Not quite what you dreamed?" Xehanort mocked.

"No one is crazy enough to dream that up… What about you, Yen Sid?"

"I am simply happy to continue the cliche of wizards on broomsticks." The sorcerer responded in a tone of mock bitterness that made his friends break into laughter again.

*GONG* GONG* GONG*

The bell toiled loudly, and its chime caused the boy's laughter to come to an abrupt halt. Xehanort looked at his friends warily, "Isn't that the emergency message…"

The boy's incomplete question was answered as Eraqus broke into a full sprint down the stairwell with Yen Sid on his heels. Xehanort followed, his mind torn between a combination of worry and excitement. They barged through the throne room and then into the room rear. There sat a purple crystal surrounded by gold, Xehanort knew it as a magical communication device which spanned across worlds.

It glowed a bright purple light which was flashing every half-second. Eraqus waved his hand over the crystal and the flashing came to a stop, "This is Apprentice Eraqus, Yen Sid, and Xehanort. Master is that you?"

A voice like an echo came from the crystal, "Yes, it's me. I need you to listen closely, Heartless have been summoned back to the realm of light, I need you to find the person responsible and stop them."

Yen Sid looked bewildered, "On our own?"

"Master Elias and I are otherwise occupied for the moment, I will join you when I can. Yen Sid, you can read the stars better than anyone, use it to follow the darkness."

Eraqus' face hardened with determination, "We'll settle this, Master."

A soft chuckle came from the crystal, "I know you will. Remember your training and stick together. May your heart be your guiding key."

The light surrounding the crystal faded, and the Master's voice was gone. The boys looked at each other, and even in the grave moment smiles crept onto their faces.

"We're going to another world!" Xehanort cheered like a child on Christmas morning.

Eraqus nodded furiously, "Adventure! Excitement! Being heroes!"

"It's not a vacation." Yen Sid scolded as he rolled his eyes, "This is serious business."

"Lighten up, Yen Sid." Eraqus nagged, "We haven't been out in months because we've been taking care of the newbie."

"Oh, ok I see how it is, thanks," Xehanort huffed.

"Alright pack up boys, meet you on the roof in twenty." Eraqus waved as he marched away.

**Entry 25**

_Today is the day it all really begins for me. I've been assigned my mission and I intend to carry it out without fail. From here on out the worlds are open for my exploration. The knowledge, the adventure, even the heroics of which Eraqus is so obsessed with. This is the most exciting moment of my life. _

"This is the most boring moment of my life," Xehanort complained. He sat holding up an astronomy chart for Yen Sid, who for the past half hour had been attempting to locate a destination, "Can't we just get going?"

Yen Sid didn't even bother looking away from his telescope to answer, "The Ocean Between is massive, the lanes act as highways. We need to know which one we're going to take. And to know that we need to know where it is we're going. Would you have us wander aimlessly and just show up at any worlds we see like idiots."

"I'd rather you work faster," Xehanort grumbled to himself.

"Relax," Yen Sid looked back to the charts, making some sort of marking, "I got it. We should start here. Eraqus is this world cataloged?"

"I think so, but it's not one I know off the top of my head," Eraqus replied as he flipped through a book, "Here we go, according to this it actually has a few names due to its large size, St, Canard, Timeless River, Disney, I think we're heading to 'Duckburg .'"

"Finally!" The impatient apprentice pointed his keyblade skyward, opening a breach in space, and mounting his glider.

"Now let's go explore this world, conquer the heartless and save the light! Next Stop-" the overeager Eraqus paused to look at the name of the world again, "Duckberg!" he declared shouting triumphantly!

"Kinda ruined the moment with the pause." Yen Sid noted.

Eraqus rolled his eyes, "Fine let's try again. Now let's go explore this world, conquer the heartless and save the light! Next Stop Duckberg!"

"Eh, the moments over" Xehanort teased as he flew through the breach with Yen Sid.

"Guys wait for me" Eraqus shouted diving into the breach as well.

Author's note: Bit of a long one, but I kinda wanted to get the worlds. For those who are hoping for more on Scala Ad Caelum, don't worry we'll be back.


End file.
